Tool for golf greens and the like



R. S. EMMET TOOL FOR GOLF GREENS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 20. 1926Irm/erwtcE P c: h arcl 5. Em m at, by 'i lll Ell

tltli ill Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

UNITED STATES l tliilfi l PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD S. EMME'I, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK.

TOOL FOR GOLF GREENS AND THE LIKE.

lln connection with golf greens. lawns and other places where it desiredto keep the ground covered evenly and uniformly with grass kept closelyniown, ditliculty is ext-- perienced "with ants forming ant hills in theground thereby producing an unevenness and killing the in and around theborings. This is especially objectionable on pelt greens. Also,ditliculty is experienced with bare spots and with spots where the grassis poor.

My invention relates to a tool for use in connection with golf greens,lawns and the like for removing ant hills, hare spots or poor spots inthe grass and substituting for the removed. turf a plug of goodgrass-covered turt.

The primary object oi. my invention is to provide an improved tool forthis purpose which is simple in structure, easy to use, capable ofbeingmanufactured at a low cost, and otllcient tor its intended purpose.

Other objects oi my invention and the advantages oi? it are pointed outin and will appear lroin the iollowinp; description.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention,attention is directed to the following specification and the claimsappended thereto.

In the drawing, Fig. l is a sectional view oi a tool embodying myinvention, the same being; shown in a manner to illustrate the way '11which the tool is used, and Fig. 2 is a sectional. view of the tool byitself.

deterring to the drawing, the tool coinprises a cylinder 5 having alower portion ti and an upper portion 7, the upper portion 7 being or adiameter slightly greater than the lower portion. Cylinder 5 may betorn'ied in any suitable manner. For example, it may be termed from apiece of seamless tubing or it may be formed from a blank oi sleetmaterial rolled to the desired shape and provided with either a weldedor an open joint. Prefenbly, I form the cylinder :t'rom seamless tubing,one end heii'ig expanded to form the upper portion 7. Between the lowerportion 6 and the upper portion 7 is an annular collar or th'tnge 8which surroruids cylinder 5 and serves as a stop to limit the depth towhich the tool may be inserted into the ground. l langre or collar 8 maybe inserted over lower portion 6 and brought into engagement with theshoulder 9 which is formed between the upper and lower portions, and

then be fastened in position in any suitable manner such as by beingwelded in position as is indicated at 10. Shoulder 9 serves as a stop orflange tor collar 8 and to give it it than seating, holding it lastagainst upward movement.

(lylinder 5 is formed TI'OlIl material of suitable thicltness and thelower end OT porti on 6 is beveled on its inner surface as is indicatedat 11 to provide a sharp cutting edge, such cutting edge being of adiameter greater than the inside diameter oil portion 6 and preferablyof a diameter equal to the outside diameter of portion (3.

Fastei'ied to cylinder 5 is a handle 12 having an inturned portion 13 atits upper end to he held in the hand. The handle is made of suitablelength and may be attached to cylinder 5 in any suitable manner such asby welding, rivets or the like. In. the present instance, I have shownit as being welded to cylinder 5,. theweld being inclicated at ll. Thisforms an advantageous means for fastening the handle to the cylinder asit provides a strong connection and one which can he provided at smallcost.

In the use or? the invention, the operator may first cut with the tool anuntiber of plugs oi turl covered with grood grass, the plugs being cutfrom a reserve patch of grass intended tor the purpose. This is done byplacing the lower edge of the tool on the grass and then pressing thetool down with the foot until collar or flange 8 strikes the ground. inother words, the tool is forced down as tar as it will go. The upper endof cylinder 5 is flat as is shown in the drawing so that the foot may heplaced on top of it in pressing it into the ground. This forms an easyand convenient way for torcing the tool into the ground. By reason ofbeveled edge 11. the tool cuts out a plug of a diai'neter slightlylarger than the inside diameter of portion 6, and as a result, such plugis squeezed up into portion 6 with a fairly tight lit so it is heldfirmly therein. The wall of portion. 6 s perfectly straight so that aplug of uniform diameter is cut out. The tool, is now pulled from theground, the plug coming out with it since as just pointed out, the plus;is held firmly in portion 6. The tool is then inserted into the turf ata new point and in the .uiauner already described. This cuts out anotherplug, the second plug; as itenters portion 6 torcing the first plug fromportion 6 up into Ill) - which was cut is then removedfrom portion thanportion 6 so that a plug from portion 6 may enter portion'7 even thoughthe foot of the operator is on top of it. The first plug 7 with the handand is placed on a suitable carrier, it being readily removable fromportion 7 owing to the fact that portion 7 is of a. greater diameteithan portion 6 and, hence of greaterdiameter than the plug "forced out.of portion 6. This operation is con tinned until the des'red number ofplugs have been cut from the reserve patch and placedon the carrier,each new plug, cut

forcing are previous one out of portion 6 into port on 7. In connectlonwith the use of the'toohthe flange 8 in each instance 'limitsthe'distance which the tool goes into theground so that all the plugs cutare of the seine size. In the present invention, I have'shown portion 7of a length such that it is adapted to vholdonly a single plug. However,iff ifo und desirable it may be made of a length relatively long toportion 6 so that it is adapted to hold more than one plug.

",e 0. ,er ator may then take the tool and the ca-rrienwiththe goodplugs of grasscovered turfthereon over to the golf green, lawn orfoth erplace where the grass is to be repairedl Inthecaseof an ant hill, thetool is then placed overitiand forced down with the foot until theflange 8 strikesthe ground. This is illustrated Fig.1 where A indicatesan -antliill to be removed. The tool is then pulled out, thus littingout thelupper porti'o'niofthe ant hill, A suitable poison may be placednow in the bottom of the hole to kill the ants and then a plug of thegood grass put in the hole and pressed down with the foot. Since theplug which is'put into the hole isthe same size as the one taken out itnicely and when pressed down it comes flush with thesurface of theground. hen the next ant hill is cut out, the first one is forced upintoupper portion 7 of the cylinder and nay be. removed with the hand and ntinto asuitable container. The tool may he usedcontinuously in thismanner. In the case ofbare spots or spotsof poor grass in the golfgreen, lawn or the like, plugs of suchspots may be removed in the mannerdescribed and replaced with plugs bearing good The tool has greatutility'also as a means for; improving greens or lawns of inferiorgrass. By the use of the tool in the manner already described, it ispossible readily to plug fine spreading grass into turf bearing inferiorgrass thus improving to any desired extent the character of the grass onthe turf. I consider this as being one of the important uses of the tooland a use which lends to the tool-great utility from a practicalstandpoint.

If found desirable, the plugs cut from the golf green lawn or the likemay be placed in the holes formed in the reserve patch where the goodplugs were removed the fact that the tool is adapted to cut all plugs ofexactly the same size making this readily possible.

My improved tool has the important advantage that it is very simple instructure, it being capable of being manufactured from onlyv threeparts, a cylinder, a collar and a handle, suitably fastened together.This means that it can be manufactured at low cost. Also the tool hasthe advantage that it is simple to use, requiring no skill on the partof the operator in order to use it efficiently. The collar 8 definitelydefines or fixes the thickness of the plugs so that all plugs areexactly of the same sizeyand they are easily cut to this size by merelyforcing the tool into the ground as tar as it will The tool is light inweight so that the operator may hold it in one hand, and since it may bepressed into the ground with the foot, the other hand of the operator isleft free to take plugs out of the top of the tool. is a result, by useof the tool. plugs may be cut very rapidly one after another. At thesame time rapid use of the tool requires but slight cfiort on the partof the operator.

In accordance with the n'ovision of the patent statutes, I havedescribed the principle of operation of my invention, together with theapparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof,but I desireto have it understood that thcap iiaratus shown is onlyillustrative and that the iiivention may be carried out by other means.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ot theUnited States, is

In a device of theeharaclcr described, the combination of a cylindricalmember having a portion oi? smaller diameter and a portion of largerdian'ictcr, the portion oi" smaller diameter having a sharp edge andbeing of uniform diameter throughout its length whereby a plug cut outwith the portion of smaller diameter will fit a hole cut with suchportion, a flange on the member intermediate between its ends, whichforms a stop to limit the depth to which the tool may be forces into theground, and a handle eonnected to the chaniber.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day ofSepten'iber, 1920.

RICHARD S. EMMET.

GERIHFECA'EE @i? if Patent No. hfifififli L il'irmiied December 27,1927, to

m [4 175 rm B11 Ji 0 "maimed sgiecification of the It is herebycertified that EBH'M' zigpeam i; i

above numbered patent requiwing; mmm iim as: ifmiimmz E, iine 116, inclaim, for the word "chamiam" mm amii. Mimi Kim said Letters Patentshould be new with this cwrmmiimi iiimeiii 51PM same may mnform to thereeord of the case in the Paiimt flfiimb Signed and smiled this 24 th.may mi Jiii L Moore,

Scale [Mitihff liiiixnmiamimmr of Patents.

